Friday, January 29, 2016

Let's Stop Fooling Ourselves, America

The USA government can only be described as a social democracy. Originally designed as an oligarchy (not a representative republic, as most might imagine), its inevitable evolution was into a social democracy. The theater of party politics perpetrates the illusion of popular vote influence on governmental power but what the USA actually has is a mostly beneficent despotism masquerading as democracy. This masquerade is critical to the stability of the government itself, because if the true power behind the government was revealed, it would lead to terrible consequences. It might mean the end of the USA as a nation and that would be a loss to the entire world. The theater and masquerade is absolutely necessary because the American experiment, as contaminated and tainted as it might be, is as close to the best in human government in the world.

The American media does a magnificent job of forwarding the theater of American politics. In actuality, the popular idea of "one man, one vote" is wrong. As the US Constitution was written, the individual does not directly vote for the most critical office, that of the president. That privilege is reserved for an independent body: the electoral college. None of the members of that body are required to vote as per the wishes of the people they supposedly are sent to represent. They may vote as they wish. In other words, if 100% of the people they are supposed to represent vote for a Democrat, they may vote for a Republican and the people would never know. This may sound unfair, but the truth of the matter is, it prevents the country from falling apart.

Democracy at its base is rule of the mob. It is rule of the majority, and the majority follows the loudest voice (i.e. people like Donald Trump). Social democracy is rule of the majority for the benefit of the loudest voices. The squeaky wheels (social champions) get the most benefit, often to the detriment of the majority itself. "Social justice" is its battle cry and often leads to unintended consequences like failing economies, higher crime rates, and a broken social structure.

The subject of the democracy of ancient Greece as an ideal has often been raised. What is not well known, however, is that even that system was rife with corruption and cronyism. Democracy is not a government to be admired. It is to be feared and avoided at all costs.

Bottom line, there is no perfect government because human nature is so disparate and unpredictable. If every person was willing to work for everyone else and share everything they gained or earned, socialism would be the best government. The truth is, human beings are selfish and vicious at their core. We have to settle for the American experiment because it allows for human nature while striving to do justice for the individual.

We need to stop denigrating the US system of government and work to perfect ourselves as individuals. The government is not some abstract entity. It is us, the people, with all our problems and hatreds and loves and foibles.

Be better to yourself and others. Eventually, government will reflect that.

The Commentator

I have been writing speculative fiction for over 40 years, but only
recently have I been able to pursue it full-time. After retiring from
my position as an air traffic controller, I decided to devote myself to
my writing, not realizing I was trading one stressful career for
another. Nevertheless, through my short fiction and novels, at least I
have an outlet for my obsession with the written word.